Dubai: Outside the Al Barsha Pond Park on Saturday, a large open-top steel container is heaped with kilos and kilos of cans. The mound, glistening under the hot morning sun, continues to rise as residents and corporations arrive throughout the day to deposit the cans they have collected. By the end of the day, a trailer will take the cans to a recycling plant, where they will be melted and reused.

According to Habiba Al Marashi, chairperson of the Emirates Environmental Group (EGG), who is spearheading the initiative, recycled cans can be back on market shelves in as little as 60 days.

This year marks the 18th annual Can Collection Drive. Habiba said when the initiative first began it was a small programme exclusively based in Dubai. It is now a nationwide project, with as many as nine marquees set up around the UAE on Saturday, taking in thousands of kilos of cans for recycling.

“This year, we’re aiming at collecting 27,000kg of cans,” Habiba said. “We’ve already collected more than half our mark. With the Can Collection Drive today, we’re hoping to secure an additional 30 per cent of our target.”

Hotels, families, and schools are taking part in the initiative. Those who come to deposit the cans they collect are given a ‘receipt’, detailing the weight of their contribution. To incentivise the programme, those who manage to collect the most cans will be given prizes such as electronic items, plane tickets, and vouchers.

“We have thousands of participants and partners, such as Dubai Municipality and myriad hotels and establishments ” Habiba said, “As many as 270 establishments and residents are signed up for Saturday’s collection drive alone. Our partners donate the prizes which will then be doled out to those who collect the most cans.”

Contributions are tallied at the end of the year. Winning schools will be given electronic items, such as desktop computers, laptops, and LCD projectors, to enhance the education experience. Winning families will be given airline tickets to Oman and digital cameras. Corporations who manage to collect the most cans will be given a crystal trophy at the end of the year.

“We also like to encourage the teachers who help with the initiative,” Habiba said. “We give them vouchers to stay and dine in five-star hotels [which are also participants].”

Habiba said it is important to encourage the community to do their part for the environment. The initiative, she said, has a wide outreach, publicised through social media channels, radio stations, media advertisements and newspapers.

“We are trying to have as many people as possible join the programme,” she said. “First-time contributors are added to our list of participants and are emailed before the next collection drive.”

Habiba said the EEG office accepts donations all year round. “Our office, which is on Jumeirah Beach Road near Dubai Zoo, is open every day from eight to six. They’ll always be a staff member there to take in your contribution with a big smile.”

Yoga Varshini, a grade eight student, is among the initiative’s participants. In three weeks, she has collected as many as 350 cans from her Gardens neighbourhood. “I’m trying to do my part for the environment,” she said.

“I’ve gone around my neighbourhood and told the tenants to separate their cans from other waste material. As such, I’ve managed to collect just over a kilo worth of cans,” she said, her EEG receipt in hand.

Varshini has also taken part in other initiatives, collecting more than 1000kg worth of paper. She even uses the water trickling down from her home’s AC units to water her garden.

“During summer, AC units dispense a lot of water,” she said, “To avoid all that water going to waste, I’ve used it to irrigate our garden.”

Mohammad Ahmad, executive housekeeper of Yassat Gloria Hotels and Apartments, said the group collected more than 750kg of cans last year.

“We’ve been taking part in this initiative for about a year and a half,” he said. “We’re trying to do our part. A lot of people booking hotels nowadays see how green a hotel group is. Last year, we collected more than 750kg of cans. We’re trying to beat our own record this year.”

The EEG has a number of other programmes under its umbrella, including the Your Can For A Tree, which takes place during the summer, and the One Root One CommuniTree.